Tobacco is a plant species that exhibits exceptionally strong apical dominance. Molecular signals from shoot apical meristem mediate a hormonal environment that effectively inhibits axillary bud growth. Upon removal of the apical meristem (also known as “topping”), the signal is lost, enabling the formation of new shoots (or “suckers”) from axillary buds. Sucker growth results in loss of yield and leaf quality. Suckers have been controlled by manual removal and through the application of chemicals. Maleic hydrazide (MH) and flumetralin are routinely used on topped plants to inhibit axillary bud growth (suckering). However, labor and chemical agents to control suckers are very expensive. Control of axillary bud growth in tobacco through conventional breeding, mutation breeding, and transgenic approaches have been a major objective for several decades but, to date, successful inhibition has not been achieved through genetic approaches. Therefore, development of tobacco traits with limited or no axillary bud growth would result in a reduction of the use of chemical agents and would reduce costs and labor associated with tobacco production.